4 Easy Ways to Prevent Gum Disease

Only your heart, skin, and lungs are vulnerable to diseases as
you age, right? Well, not really. Your gums and teeth are also prone to damage,
particularly if you don’t practice proper oral care habits, ingest foods that
may trigger decay, or visit a Miami dentist for a routine checkup.

What You Need to Know about Gum Disease

Gum disease doesn’t develop instantly, but in stages. This
means using basic lifestyle changes and simple diet can help prevent or
minimize it.

Gingivitis marks the first stage of this disease, and it’s
characterized by red and swollen gums, which bleed easily. You can easily
resolve this common condition through improved brushing and flossing habits.
The damage can be reversed provided the tissue and bone that hold your teeth
intact are not impacted.

However, not resolving gingivitis may lead to a more serious
stage of the disease known as periodontitis. It’s the final stage of the gum
disease, which destroys the gum tissue and the bone structure that supports
teeth.

Preventing Gum Disease

Here are easy tips to help you safeguard the integrity and
health of your mouth as well as save money you could have used to treat gum
disease.

1. Eat Foods That Promote Gum Health

What you eat affects your teeth and gums. If you frequently go
for foods and drinks rich in sugar and refine carbohydrates, you’re creating an
environment for bacteria to thrive and cause damage. To prevent gum disease,
you don’t only need to avoid bad foods, but you also need to choose foods that
improve your gum health. Such foods include:

2. Fine Tune Your Oral care Routine

How do you take care of your teeth currently? Do you simply
brush, brush and floss, or you also rinse? While most people don’t go past
brushing, taking a few more minutes to rinse, floss and oil pull can improve
your oral health tremendously.

3. Don’t Smoke

Using tobacco in any form, including pipes, cigarettes, and
smokeless tobacco, increases your gum disease risk. Smoking weakens your immune system, making it more
difficult to off the gum infection. And once you’ve any gum damage, smoking can
slow down the healing process. The risk of getting a gum disease is double in
smokers than in non-smokers. This risk increases with the number of cigarettes
you smoke and your smoking duration. Gum disease treatments may not work well
among smokers. So, if you smoke, it’s time to design a quitting strategy and
stick to it, and if you don’t smoke, don’t start.

4. See a Dentist Regularly

It’s crucial that you see your dentist at least semi-annually
as these experts can spot gum disease signs ahead of you. Also, if you
experience bloody or tender gums, persistent bad breath, receding gums, or
loose teeth, schedule an appointment with the dentist immediately.

Conclusion

Don’t wait to lose
another tooth because of gum disease. Implement the above simple tips for
stronger gums and healthier teeth.